"We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." - Articles of Faith 1:13
(Disclaimer: I am not an official spokesman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

As missionaries are sent into many different regions of the earth, the chapter on "The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ" also contains brief summaries of lives of "Reformers and World Religious Leaders" whose examples and teachings have greatly influenced the world. These "Reformers and Religious Leaders" include John Wycliffe, Martin Luther, William Tyndale, John Calvin, Buddha (Gotama), Confucius and Mohammed. Missionaries are instructed to use this background information only when needed.

The brief description of the life of Mohammed as contained in Preach My Gospel is as follows:

"Born in 570 A.D. in Mecca. Orphaned in childhood. Lived a life of poverty. Gained reputation as a trusted peacemaker. Married at age 25. In 610 prayed and meditated on Mount Hira. Said the angel Gabriel appeared to him and delivered a message from Allah (God). Claimed to receive communication from God through Gabriel from 620 to 632. These communications, which he recited to his disciples, were later written in the Koran, the sacred book of Islam."

This is a concise and accurate summary of the life of Mohammed that will be helpful for missionaries or for those who are unfamiliar with the religion of Islam. For those whose curiosity concerning Mohammed runs deeper, PBS has produced an excellent primer on the prophet of Islam entitled "The Life of Muhammad." This enjoyable television series contains three segments: "The Seeker," "Holy Wars," and "Holy Peace," each of which is skillfully crafted and highly informative.

For those whose desire to understand Islam and the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) runs even deeper, please learn Arabic and read the Holy Qur'an. If you approach the task with a sense of wonder and of "Holy Envy," you won't be disappointed.

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Welcome to The Good Report, a forum in which to seek, gather and report upon all that is virtuous, lovely, of good report or praiseworthy. The foundational principles of this forum are the love of God and of fellow man. The vision of this blog is to drink into one principle of love and to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.